


North

by SnubbingApollo



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: BDSM, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Molly is a tease, Past Abuse, Praise Kink, Relationship Negotiation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 00:20:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnubbingApollo/pseuds/SnubbingApollo
Summary: Trent had been the star he’d used to find north and over time he’d forgotten how to find it himself.Except it turned out Trent had been leading him every directionbutnorth, obscuring the whole world in fog until Caleb had forgotten the shape of things entirely. Until he could only find his way by stumbling blindly in whatever direction Trent had pointed.And now Trent is gone. The fog has been pulled away but Caleb still can’tsee. He doesn’t rememberhow.





	North

**Author's Note:**

> This is the longest one-shot I have ever written. It took me three days. I have forgotten the taste of bread, the sound of trees.
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy this emotional filth! :)

Caleb has never been good at people. For all that studying and books came easily to him people were an enigma. The intricacies of social graces often escaped him and he frequently offended those around him without meaning to. Astrid and Aeodwulf had overlooked it because they were used to it. Trent had seemed almost to enjoy it. He’d constantly asked Caleb’s opinion of the people around them, laughed delightedly when Caleb said something clueless that would have put anyone else off.

He understands now in the part of himself that is able to hate Trent Ikithon that the man had been weaseling close, gaining Caleb’s trust so that he would be easier to manipulate later. And manipulate he had.

Trent had become Caleb’s gauge for the entire world. He measured people based on what Trent would think of them. He conducted himself in ways that Trent would approve of. 

_“Make eye contact and stand up straight. I know it’s hard for you Caleb, but you can do it. There’s a good boy.”_

He’d done terrible things and allowed terrible things to be done to him on the _chance_ that Trent would praise him after.

Trent had been the star he’d used to find north and over time he’d forgotten how to find it himself.

Except it turned out Trent had been leading him every direction _but_ north, obscuring the whole world in fog until Caleb had forgotten the shape of things entirely. Until he could only find his way by stumbling blindly in whatever direction Trent had pointed.

And now Trent is gone. The fog has been pulled away but Caleb still can’t _see_. He doesn’t remember _how_.

Nott helps anchor him but she needs him to know what to do. To be strong and smart for her. She believes in him so much and there are times he wants to grip her by the shoulders and shake her. Scream that he doesn’t know where he’s going or what he’s doing.

That there are times that he denies himself meals because he couldn’t hold her eyes for the entirety of a conversation even though there is no one to enforce such rules now. That every time he hears whispers against the empire from the darkened corner of some tavern, they’re in his hands shake and a fury fills him that he _knows_ is not his own, but that he cannot fully banish. 

Traitors are evil. They weaken this Empire and they _must_ die. 

Nott never asks why he sometimes has to storm out of the room without a word. She is endlessly gentle and endlessly tolerant.

But the rest of the group. He can see the way they notice. The strangeness in him, the way he can’t hold their eyes, the way he fiddles with anything he can and his hands cannot be still, the strange nearly toneless way he speaks at times.

The way he does not wash and the times he does not eat and the times he must stand abruptly and remove himself a seemingly innocuous conversation because he can feel himself about to speak Trent’s words, about to act out Trent’s will like a puppet being pulled along by its strings.

And now they know. He’s sure they’ve put two and two together to a certain extent by now and he keeps expecting them to pull away in disgust. To censure him somehow for still _belonging_ to Trent as much as he does. He doesn’t understand how they can trust him. Especially Molly. He’d told Molly what he hadn’t told anyone else, admitted what Trent had been for him and how twisted his feelings for the man still were, and Molly had reacted with understanding and gentleness and Caleb does not understand.

But he also does not argue.

What Caleb feels for Molly has been beyond his ability to control since roughly the second _hour_ he’d known him, but it is still growing. He knows what it is but he is reluctant to name it.

He is _afraid_ to name it. He doesn’t know how he could possibly earn the same in return from Molly. He is trying so _hard_ to maintain the affection of the entire group already. He still can’t believe he’d managed to earn it at all, and he isn’t sure how he can balance favoring Molly while not spurning the others.

“I can _hear_ you thinking, Caleb,” Molly murmurs sleepily from behind him, pressing closer against his back. Caleb smiles despite his whirling thoughts.

“That is silly,” he says and Molly smiles against his shoulder.

“No really, it’s very loud. Woke me up and everything,” Molly tells him. Caleb finds Molly’s hand where it rests against his stomach and twines their fingers together, feeling a slight tremor shaking his fingers against Molly’s at the thought that he’s allowed to simply _do_ that. Molly hums squeezing his hand.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asks and Caleb shifts against him. He loves it when Molly calls him that. It makes warmth settle in his chest and his face heat.

“Nothing. You know me, I think too much.”

Molly hums again.

“I don’t disagree,” he says. “I’d be happy to listen if you want to think out loud.”

“My thoughts are not often fit for sharing,” Caleb tells him quietly. “I’m sorry I woke you.” Molly sighs, kissing his neck gently.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Caleb.”

There was disappointment in that sigh. Caleb winces, pressing back against Molly.

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you, I just… my thoughts are not cheerful at the moment. I don’t want to make you unhappy,” he says. Molly’s arms tighten around him and the Tiefling nuzzles against him, kissing the skin of his neck again.

“How can I make them cheerful thoughts?” Molly asks. He’s trailing kisses along Caleb’s throat now and it makes him shudder, tilting his head without thinking to bare more skin for him. Molly hums low in his throat and the approval in the noise makes Caleb’s toes curl.

“This is a good start,” Caleb says quietly and Molly chuckles, turning to rest his forehead against Caleb. Things are quiet for a long moment before Caleb speaks again. He doesn’t know what moves him to do it, he doesn’t even know what he’s going to say until it’s already out of his mouth.

“Do I make you happy, Molly?” he asks, blinking at his own question. There’s a pause and Molly shifts behind him. He wishes that he could see the man’s face, gauge his reaction.

“You make me very happy,” Molly tells him his thumb tracing back and forth along Caleb’s hand. “Is that what’s got you so worked up?” Caleb swallows hard, giving a noncommittal shrug.

“It was easy to know with- with the other people I’ve been close to,” Caleb says cautiously. He stops short of actually using Trent’s name. If Molly thought he was comparing them- Molly couldn’t think that. Not even for a second. “But… you’ve always been so kind, even when I’ve disappointed you before.”

Molly goes tense behind him and Caleb swallows hard, hoping he hasn’t offended despite himself.

“You’ve never _disappointed_ me, Caleb,” the other man says softly and Caleb frowns.

“When you pinned me to the wall because I was hoarding loot-”

“That wasn’t- I didn’t know you, Caleb,” Molly tells him. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t do that now.” Caleb turns to look at him wishing he could see the man’s expression.

“Why not?” he asks and Molly tenses further.

“Because it made you uncomfortable. I knew it _would_ and I thought that was the only way to get a straight answer out of you. I know better now, I know _you_ better. If there was a problem I’d just _talk_ to you about it.”

“This is what I mean,” Caleb said with a heavy sigh. “I’m not… accustomed to…”

“You’re _accustomed_ to being punished and manipulated,” Molly murmurs sadly, leaning close to rest their foreheads together. “But that’s not what you’re going to get here. I will _never_ treat you like that.”

Caleb is quiet for a moment, trying to find words for what he wants to say. He doesn’t want to be hurt, not really. Trent was cruel and he has enough space, enough _distance_ from the man to recognize that at least, but…

“I miss it,” he breathes. “Not the pain and the- but being sure of myself. Knowing where I stood. What was expected of me.”

That likely sounds awful. He’s essentially admitting out loud to his lover that he misses being controlled and used and abused. There’s a mental stutter over the word ‘abused’. It still doesn’t feel right, doesn’t feel like it _applies_. It feels melodramatic to use it but he knows it’s the word Molly would use.

Abused.

How must that make him sound?

Molly is quiet for a long moment, but he doesn’t pull away and his hand finds Caleb’s hair and strokes through it gently as if he knows how the quiet will seem to Caleb and is trying to head off his fear before it manifests.

“You miss having someone else in charge of you,” Molly says slowly.

“I know how it must sound,” Caleb murmurs miserably. “But it was… it…” He can’t find the words and he makes a noise of frustration. He doesn’t need to as it turns out. Molly finds them for him.

“It made you feel safe, having someone to answer to. Someone to hold you accountable, to tell you what to do.”

Caleb nods.

“I need words Caleb,” Molly says and his voice has gone firm in a way Caleb has never heard it. It’s still gentle but in a way that demands Caleb obey. It makes him shiver.

“It was… I enjoyed it, yes,” he says his own voice nearly a whisper. “And the parts I did not enjoy seemed a small price to pay for the parts I did.”

“Good boy.”

The praise hits him like lightning and he gives a small gasp, squeezing his eyes shut. Molly hums quietly and Caleb can _feel_ cataloguing that reaction, filing the implications away.

“I don’t know if I was this way before and he could tell… if he used that predisposition to manipulate me more easily or if he… made me this way but… I do not know where I am going Mollymauk. Or what I am doing. I am trying to do the things that all of you want, to earn your trust and your affection but I have no idea if I’m doing it right-”

One of Molly’s fingers lays gently over to shush him and Caleb realizes he’d started rambling a little. He looks away a bit embarrassed as Molly starts to speak.

“You don’t have to _earn_ our affection, Caleb,” he says softly. 

Caleb shakes his head, still looking down and to the side. Molly sighs, his thumb shifting to stroke back and forth over Caleb’s cheek.

“Let me make sure I’m understanding you,” Molly says, voice quiet and Caleb searches his tone for any kind of judgement or disapproval but finds none. “You’re feeling anxious because you’re missing how sure of yourself you felt when you had someone to tell you what to do and guide you along. Part of that relationship you’re missing was that you had to continuously earn affection so you’re also feeling anxious because none of us are demanding anything from you and because of that you feel like you’re not earning your place here. About right?”

Caleb nods miserably.

“I know what he did was wrong and that that’s not something I should want or miss and I _don’t_ want any of you to act like him he was cruel and he frightened me but…” Caleb trails off.

“You knew where you stood. And even though parts of it were horrible, and I’m really proud of you by the way I know talking about it like this isn’t easy for you, you miss the parts that weren’t” Molly finishes for him. Caleb takes a moment to bask in the praise before nodding.

“Ja,” he says, hiding his face against Molly’s shoulder. The Tiefling doesn’t demand he look at him and Caleb is relieved. 

“Was it just the praise or was there more?” Molly asks and of _course_ he’s noticed that. It’s easy to forget with how carefree and boisterous the man is but he is the most observant man Caleb knows. He is always watching and cataloging.

“There was that but also… it felt good to- to know that if I did something wrong he was willing to correct me. That I was worth the trouble of- of disciplining, I suppose. Even if his discipline was… harsh.” Caleb’s words are muffled slightly against Molly’s skin and his accent has gotten thicker with his emotions. It takes Molly so long to respond that Caleb begins to fear he couldn’t understand him.

“What if I could give you something like that?” the other man asks and Caleb jerks back to look at Molly’s face. It’s too dark to read his expression but he needs to _look_ at him for this.

“I would _never_ ask you to do that,” he says nearly tripping over the Common in his rush to tell Molly that he doesn’t need to- to _be_ that for him _gods_ how awful-

“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” Molly tells him gently. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done something like that for someone.” Caleb blinks at him in shock and he can tell by the way Molly tilts his head that he’s smirking just a little. “What you think you’re the only person who enjoys getting bossed around? Whether he saw that in you and took advantage of it or developed it in you himself, you have it now. There’s nothing wrong with needing a steadying hand, Caleb, as long as it’s someone you trust who won’t use you the way he did.”

Caleb considers that, imagines Molly’s hand firm on the back of his neck, Molly’s calm lilting voice delivering praise and instructions and he shivers. He opens his mouth but Molly shakes his head.

“You don’t have to say anything now,” he says. “Just think it over. Even if it’s something you do want we’d have to be careful and take it slow. The last thing I want is to accidentally hurt or scare you.”

Caleb nods, pressing close again.

“Alright,” he murmurs and Molly kisses his forehead gently.

“Right now I think you should try and get some sleep.”

“Ja, you are probably right,” Caleb agrees. “We’ll talk about this again?” Molly nods.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

***

If Caleb is more quiet than usual over the next few days, no one points it out. Molly says nothing about their conversation that night, letting Caleb puzzle out what he wants in his own time and Caleb is endlessly grateful.

It also means that he has to be the one to bring it back up. He can’t just sit back and wait for Molly to decide to start he has to _ask_ for it. That is… new. By the third day he’s decided this is something he does want to try but he spends the whole day trying to gear himself up to starting the conversation. Every time he gets Molly alone it’s like his throat closes up and he forgets all his Common. It’s late when he finally manages it.

Molly has just finished praying over his swords and Caleb is petting Frumpkin restlessly. He waits until Molly stands and stretches and he’s sure the man is finished before speaking, the words tumbling out of him in a rush.

“I want to try,” he says quickly, looking up at Molly and tracing the curves of his horns with his eyes. “You… telling me what to do, I want to try.”

Molly smiles coming to sit next to him. Caleb snaps his fingers to send Frumpkin back to his place for now and watches the other man.

“I was wondering how long it was going to take you to get it out,” he teases. Caleb gives him an affronted look.

“You knew what I was trying to say?”

“I knew you were trying to give me your answer. Wasn’t sure if it was going to be yes or no but I figured it was probably about this,” Molly tells him. Caleb sighs and leans into his side.

“This was much harder than I thought it would be,” he murmurs. Molly chuckles and leans in and kisses his hair.

“But you did it,” he points out.

“You could have helped.”

“I told you we’d talk when you were ready. If you couldn’t say it out loud, you weren’t ready.”

Molly is likely right about that but Caleb has no intention of admitting that.

“What now?” he asks instead.

“Now we talk about rules,” Molly said and Caleb nods.”First of all, this isn’t an all the time thing. Outside of the times we’re playing at this everything stays just like it has been, okay?”

At first Caleb is surprised by that but when he thinks about it for a moment it should have been obvious. It’s a relief actually, to know that they’re relationship as a whole won’t be changing.

“Alright,” he agrees easily.

“Second, I need you to pick a word,” Molly continues and Caleb frowns in confusion. “Something simple and easy to remember but that’s not likely to come up accidentally. When you say it, everything we’re doing stops. We get you set to rights and then we talk about what went wrong.”

That is… also a relief. Caleb leans more heavily into Molly and the Tiefling put his arm around his shoulder holding him close. He doesn’t have to think for long until the word comes to him.

“Fire,” he murmurs. Molly makes a soft sound and squeezes him tighter for a moment.

“Fire it is. Any time you get uncomfortable at all or I do anything you don’t like, I want you to say that, okay?” Caleb nods and Molly kisses his hair again. “Good boy.”

Caleb shivers all over, that familiar thrill going through him. He can feel Molly’s smirk and his tail swishes back and forth languidly, bumping into Caleb’s arm and telegraphing how pleased he is.

“Lastly, I need to know if there’s anything you absolutely don’t want me to do. Lines that aren’t negotiable.”

Caleb chews his lip and forces himself to think instead of bask in the warm feeling of Molly’s praise.

“I… I do not want to be insulted,” he says after a moment. “Or hurt in more than little ways.”

“What’s a little way?” Molly asks and Caleb shifts against him, suddenly struck with embarrassment at having to say this all out loud.

“Biting and scratching are alright. And tugging my hair maybe but not… nothing more serious than that.”

Molly nods, his fingertips tracing nonsense shapes on Caleb’s shoulder.

“You sure about the scratching? Don’t forget I have these,” he murmurs and shifts his hand to drag his claws lightly down the back of Caleb’s neck. Caleb gasps and his back arches. Molly laughs and nuzzles against his hair again. “That’s a yes then.”

Caleb feels his face heat and knows he must be blushing. His suspicions are confirmed when Molly shifts his hand to trace a finger along his cheekbone.

“Now isn’t that pretty.”

Caleb shivers, letting his eyes flutter shut and leaning into the touch. Were they going to start this _now_? Somehow Caleb had expected to have to wait.

“Why don’t you lay down for me, Caleb?” Molly’s voice has gone low and sultry in a way Caleb had learned over the weeks meant _very_ good things. He shudders leaning back to lay down on the bed. Molly smiles, shifting to kneel between his legs. He leans down and presses a kiss to Caleb’s lips, soft and gentle but deep. Caleb moans his hands coming up to take hold of Molly’s horns. The Tiefling’s smile widens against his lips and he finds Caleb’s hands with his own guiding them back to the pillow on either side of Caleb’s head.

“Keep them there,” he murmurs voice low and Caleb moans, nodding. Molly gives his wrists a parting squeeze before reaching down to the laces of his shirt and working them loose. Caleb itches to help him, to start working the shirt off his arms and over his head but he can’t without moving his hands. He swallows hard, hands twitching beside his head before stilling again. He’s not tied down, he _can_ move them and that means he’s going to have to focus on keeping still. He swallows hard and his breathing picks up as Molly works his shirt up his chest until it’s bunched just under his arms.

He wants to _touch_ , to run his hands through Molly’s hair, along his jewelry, over his skin. He never keeps his hands still like this when they’re together. He’s always touching and clutching and he whines as he realizes how hard it’s going to be to actually obey.

Molly smirks down at him and Caleb realizes the bastard knew exactly what he was doing when he gave Caleb that order.

“ _Molly_ ” he groans starting to squirm a bit already as if he can only keep his hands still by moving every other part of his body. Molly leans down and gives his bottom lip a gentle nip.

“You can do it, Caleb,” he murmurs. One of his hands runs up Caleb’s bared chest finding a nipple and flicking it gently, careful of his claws. Caleb moans and arches into the contact. His hands flex open and closed, fingers twitching and curling with the desire to touch. Molly presses another kiss to his lips and pinches his nipple just hard enough to sting a bit and Caleb groans sucking at Molly’s lower lip. The other man pulls away and Caleb whines at the loss of contact blinking up at him blearily.

Molly’s free hand comes up to stroke his cheek and Caleb leans into it, letting his eyes flutter closed. He’s so _hard_ already and Molly’s barely done anything. He wasn’t expecting it to be _this_ good.

“You just go right down, don’t you?” Molly murmurs, giving Caleb’s nipple another gentle tug. It pulls another gasp from Caleb and he arches again, hips rocking up into nothing.

“ _Molly_ ” he says again more urgently this time and Molly chuckles at him.

“You want something?” he asks and Caleb opens his mouth to speak but his words are lost in a groan when Molly shifts down to flick his pierced tongue against the nipple his fingers aren’t tormenting.

“Oh fuck,” Caleb gasps arching hard and biting his lip. He’s grown more and more fond of that Common curse over the weeks traveling with the Nein. In these sorts of situations, it’s very nearly a pun and the private joke brings a dreamy smile to his lips. Molly hums sucking at the flesh in his mouth for a moment before pulling back to smile up at Caleb. His fingers still haven’t stopped stroking and pinching and Caleb moans.

“Feeling good?” he asks and Caleb thinks that should be obvious but he nods anyway.

“Ja,” he breathes out nearly panting now. Molly grins before pinching his nipple _hard_ and holding the pressure. Caleb cries out gasping for breath and squirming. It hurts but it’s _good_ and he’s honestly not sure if he’s trying to get closer or get away.

“You never answered my last question, Caleb,” Molly points out, keeping up the pressure and Caleb’s eyes widen in realization.

“Oh- I’m sorry!” he chokes out, and Molly releases him, leaning over to give the tormented peak a soothing lick.

“Tell me what you want,” he says and his tone leaves no question that it’s an order and _fuck_ that’s so good.

“I- _more_ ,” Caleb gasps out and Molly arches a brow.

“Is that how you ask for things?”

For a moment Caleb has no idea what he means. It dawns on him just as Molly is reaching to give him another pinch and he yelps the word out as quickly as he can.

“Please!”

“That’s my good boy,” Molly says. He leans down again trailing kisses down Caleb’s chest and stomach. His hands slide up and down Caleb’s sides as he goes and the touch is both soothing and driving him crazy. He wants those hands on more sensitive places, on his inner thighs on his _cock_ hard and neglected in his pants. As if Molly heard his thoughts the man reaches down and starts to work on the ties to Caleb’s pants, undoing them and sitting up so he can pull them down and off.

Caleb’s hands twitch again with the urge to help, to _touch_ and he has to force himself to stay still. He wishes he was tied, that he had something he could tug against, _anything_ he could do with the restless energy in his fingers that only seems to add to the ache in his cock.

Molly gives a pleased little hum when Caleb’s pants are finally off and tossed somewhere on the floor. He slides his hands up Caleb’s legs and looks him over head to toe and before zeroing in on his cock and Caleb squirms under his gaze. Molly is still fully _dressed_ and he didn’t anticipate the effect that’s having on him. He feels bared more thoroughly than he ever has, put on display before the other man and the position he’s been told to keep his hands in doesn’t allow for obscuring himself at all.

His cock twitches against his stomach and Molly smiles, reaching down to run a finger along the sensitive skin from base to tip.

“Oh,” Caleb moans, trying to press up into the light touch.

“You’re so pretty like this,” Molly says, running his hands along Caleb’s thighs and over his hips. “Flushed pink and hard for me.”

Caleb feels his face heat at the words and knows his cheeks must be bright red.

“Do you want me to touch you, Caleb?” Molly asks and Caleb whines, his hips twitching up into nothing but air.

“Bitte,” he gasps. “ _Please_.”

Molly grins and closes his hand around Caleb’s cock. Caleb cries out his hips thrusting up into the contact once, twice before Molly’s free hand pins him down against the mattress.

“Easy there,” he murmurs, giving one slow stroke from base to tip before slowly circling the head with his thumb. Caleb moans desperately his hands shifting to fist in his hair desperate for something to touch. “Don’t move your hands, Caleb. Keep them where I put them.”

Caleb cries out, moving his hands back to the exact places Molly had pressed them into the pillow minutes before. He gasps for breath and writhes as much as he’s able, the slow teasing touches driving him insane.

“That’s it,” Molly coos, squeezing around the head of Caleb’s cock briefly before taking his slow steady pace again. “Just let me play with you.”

“Molly,” Caleb gasps, arching his back. He spreads his legs further, planting his feet on the bed and curling his toes into the sheets. “Molly _please_. Bitte! Ich brauche- ah!”

“Gods, I love it when you speak Zemnian,” Molly purrs, giving him a quicker stroke as if rewarding him. Caleb whimpers, tossing his head in pleasure. “Just look at you. I was going to grab the oil in a second but you’re dripping for me so much I don’t even need it.” He slides his thumb around the head again spreading the fluid gathering there and using it to ease his slow teasing strokes.

Caleb gives a sob of pleasure his eyes squeezed shut against the overwhelming sensations.

“You’re shaking, pet,” Molly murmurs, running his free hand over Caleb’s trembling thigh.”Are you close?” 

Caleb shakes his head, a whine leaving his throat.

“No? Am I going to slow?” Molly asks and Caleb thinks he might cry.

“ _Ja_ ,” he chokes out. “Molly!”

“Ask for what you want, Caleb,” Molly says giving him a squeeze. Caleb cries out and struggles to find his Common.

“Please, please I need to come!” he gasps and Molly groans from above him. It’s the first time Molly has even seemed to lose his composure and it hits Caleb like _lightning_.

“ _Good_ boy,” Molly says and he quickens his strokes twisting his wrist on every upstroke. Caleb’s so worked up it only takes a few more strokes before he’s tumbling headlong over the edge with a choked cry. Molly strokes him through it as he thrashes and shakes, murmuring praises and encouragement as he does.

When Caleb comes back to himself he feels like he’s floating. He’s warm and more relaxed than he’s been in a long time.

“Molly?” he mumbles, shifting a little and blinking his eyes open. Molly smiles at him from where he’s running a wet cloth over Caleb’s skin. Caleb blinks at the sight. How long had he been drifting that Molly had time to get something to clean him up with?

“Back with us?” he asks, sliding the cloth along Caleb’s stomach and Caleb nods, brow furrowing.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly and Molly pauses his movements, looking up at him.

“For what?” he asks.

“I didn’t do anything for you. You never even took your shirt off and then I drifted away on you,” he murmurs. Molly shakes his head.

“You did so much for me, Caleb. Do you have any idea how fucking amazing it was to watch you fall apart like that? To be able to give you that?” he asks a smirk forming on his face. “You can move your hands now by the way. I didn’t actually expect you to be able to keep them like that while you were coming. I should have known better.”

Caleb blinks sliding his hands down from their position on the pillow. He hadn’t even realized they were still there.

“And as for you drifting off, getting you to that place where you can relax and let go and fly a little? That’s the whole point of this.”

Caleb swallowed hard, sitting up and leaning in to kiss Molly gently.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. Molly’s smile widens and he leans in to rest their foreheads together.

“I want you to clean your plate at breakfast tomorrow, Caleb. Think you can do that for me?” 

Caleb blinks in confusion for a moment but he nods.

“Good, because if you’re a good boy I’ll have a nice surprise for you,” Molly tells him and his voice has gone low and purring again. Caleb shudders at the sound licking his lips.

“Yes, Molly,” he agrees and he feels _Molly_ shudder at the words and something relaxes in his chest at the suggestion that Molly is actually enjoying this as much as he is.

“Mmm, that’s nice,” Molly says and Caleb smiles. “You coming to bed?”

Caleb shakes his head and nods over to the desk where his books and his paper are waiting for him. Molly groans dramatically.

“Fine,” he says teasingly, flopping back onto the bed. “I’ll allow it but only because I get to hear you mumbling to yourself in your gorgeous language as I fall asleep.” 

Caleb shakes his head indulgently giving Molly a kiss before finding his pants on the floor and wrestling them on.

“Boo,” Molly calls from the bed and Caleb scoffs a laugh, shaking his head and sitting down.

“Telling me what to do certainly puts you in a mood,” he says and Molly laughs.

“You’re not the only one flying at the moment.”

Caleb smiles as he opens his book and starts transcribing. If he murmurs to himself extra loudly now that he knows Molly likes it, there’s no one but them to hear.


End file.
